BLAINE, (USA), Jul 22: It was not the best of starts for India’s Arjun Atwal or Indian-American Sahith Theegala as they shot 2-over 73 each to be at Tied-73rd after the first round at the 3M Open on PGA Tour here.
Atwal had one birdie and three bogeys, while Theegala, who was down at 4-over, finished birdie-birdie to give himself a chance of getting into the weekend.
Indo-Swede Daniel Chopra had a rough times with 7-over 78.
While Atwal and Theegala have to ensure they get a decent second round, Chopra will need a stunning one to stay on for the money rounds.
Scott Piercy and Sungjae Im are tied for the lead at 6-under. Tony Finau was two back after three close birdie misses over his last four holes.
Finau was tied third alongside Brice Garnett, Emiliano Grillo, Tony Doug Ghim and Tom Hoge at 4-under. A big bunch of nine players, including Adam Hadwin and David Lingmerth, were tied for 8th at 3-under.
Atwal hit 12 of 18 greens while finishing at 2 over. He bogeyed the par-3 13th, but got back the shot on the 451-yard par-4 15th hole with a 22-foot putt for birdie.
After a tee shot on to the green at the 202-yard par-3 17th, Atwal suffered from a tough three-putt. Then, he had another bogey on the par-4 ninth.
Theegala did not find half the fairways and had only nine of the 18 greens in regulation. Yet, his putting with a great accuracy from inside 10 feet saved him a lot of shots.
The 43-year-old Piercy, who has four career wins, changed his caddie, his swing coach, his driver and his putter last week.
The 24-year-old Sungjae Im, 19th in the FedEx Cup standings and 24th in the world, birdied four of his last six holes. He was tied for eighth at the Masters this year. (PTI)
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